Citizen Complaints

1.
All complaints that allege misconduct by a member of the University Police Department
that pertain to departmental policies and procedures shall be documented and
investigated to the fullest extent possible.

2.
Complaints may be made in person, by telephone or in writing. Complaints from
citizens who wish their names to be held in confidence will be accepted for
investigation.

3.
Personnel who are notified of a complaint against the department or any of its
members are to direct the complainant to the Watch Commander, depending upon
the nature of the complaint. In the
absence of the Watch Commander/Lieutenant, the highest-ranking supervisor on
duty should be contacted to take the complaint.

4.
A supervisor will have the complainant complete the NCCU Citizen Complaint Form
unless the complainant is unable to write. In such a case, the supervisor will record
the complaint on the citizen complaint form.

5.
The supervisor who takes the complaint is to complete a Departmental Complaint
Report. A copy of this report, the Citizen Complaint Report and any necessary
documentation must be forwarded to the Internal Affairs Supervisor by the next
business day for administrative processing.

a. When
applicable, the supervisor will attempt to resolve a complaint during the
initial contact with the complainant. If the supervisor who takes the complaint
is not the first-line supervisor of the involved member(s), he/she will notify
the involved member(s) supervisor. The complaint may be forwarded to the
appropriate supervisor for investigation by the Internal Affairs supervisor.
If the complaint alleges a non-disciplinary incident and the matter is
resolved at the time the complaint is filed, the Watch Commander/Lieutenant
shall retain a copy of the complaint file within his or her squad for
appropriate action.

b. Attempts
to resolve complaints shall be noted on the complaint report. Original
complaint reports shall be forwarded to Internal Affairs even in those
instances when the complaint is resolved.

c. The
Watch Commander/Lieutenant will explain the departmental complaint process to
the complainant.

d. In
the event that a delay would hamper the investigation of serious allegations,
supervisors and/or a lieutenant are authorized to initiate inquiries prior to
review by the chief.

e. Allegations
that are likely to have an adverse impact upon the department (use of deadly
force, for example) are to be reported immediately to the administrative and operations
commanders and the chief of police.

6.
Upon review by the chief, complaints will be assigned for investigation as
necessary.

7. A record of complaints filed against the department or its members will be maintained by the Internal Affairs Unit in a secure file, separate and apart from the central records system and personnel files.

8. Upon receipt of the complaint, the chief of police must notify the complainant in writing that the complaint has been received and identify the supervisor responsible for follow-up investigation.

9. The chief will notify the complainant of the investigative findings at the conclusion of the process. The information provided in this notification will be at the discretion of the chief of police.

NCCU complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all programs and activities (including sexual harassment and sexual violence) in the University's educational programs and activities. For additional resources or to file a Title IX complaint, visit the NCCU's Title IX webpage.